


The Short Day of Vir Cotto

by Jameson9101322



Category: Babylon 5
Genre: Gen, Series Spoilers, Unofficial Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-04-11
Packaged: 2018-03-15 20:49:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3461519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jameson9101322/pseuds/Jameson9101322
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the end of his life, elderly Emperor Cotto receives a visitor from beyond the Rim. Show and movie canon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dawn

Dawn broke on Centauri Prime, and Emperor Cotto was alone. 

He was never particularly fond of mornings. They never offended him, persay, but waking on time was still a chore. Even as emperor he liked late sleeping, but age had a way of changing habits. He almost always watched the sunrise, now, usually from his favorite chair with a thick blanket across his lap. This morning was no different. He sat in his nightclothes and robe with a knitted cap on his head and his well-coiffed crest of hair waiting on a stand in his dressing room.

His granddaughter made him the cap. She gave it to him five years prior. Now she was married to a dignitary on the other side of the planet with her siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins scattered across the band of stars fading above. Jeserel was out there – probably on a beach surrounded by suitors closer to her age. Space travel didn't suit the emperor anymore, the pressure changes aggravated his joints and the artificial atmosphere left him short of breath. He wondered if Jeserel ever thought of him. Maybe she would today, if she recognized the date. Maybe. She wouldn't be visiting.

The clock on the wall chimed the first hour of the day. A knot tightened between the emperor's hearts. His dry lips faltered.

“Great Maker...”

He sounded weary, even to his own ears. A tear rode the wrinkles across his cheek and away from his mouth.

“I don't ask for a lot, but... can I have something today? Since you're the only one who'll be here? I've lived a long time, but there's one thing I'm still waiting for. I think I may even want it now, more than anything else. It can be like a gift, you know?” 

The knot in his chest swelled to overtake his lungs and throat. A rush of unshed tears finally spilled from his sunken eyes.

“Great Maker, please... don't leave me alone.”

“Not alone, Vir Cotto.”

The emperor turned in his chair to find a strange man in the middle of his sitting room. He was of an alien species the emperor didn't know, dressed in robes with his long fingers folded before him. Emperor Cotto moved his blanket and rose on shaky knees. “Who are you?”

“You may call me Lorien.”

“Lorien...” The name was familiar, but took a moment to gain focus. “Oh! From B5.” The emperor steadied himself on the back of his chair. “I thought you went beyond the Rim.”

“I did.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“Visiting you on your ascension day.”

Emperor Cotto's mouth fell open, then closed and fell open again. “T-Thank you, I guess. I mean, that's quite a flight from the edge of infinity and all. Are you sure you came here for me? I mean we don't really know each other and you're... uh...”

Lorien bowed his head with a patient smile. “I am here by request.”

“What?”

“You asked the universe for a gift. You asked it for what you wanted most.”

“O-oh,” Emperor Cotto wet his lips again. “I didn't actually think – ”

“The universe could hear you?” Lorien chuckled. “Like a whisper in its ear.”

“Then I guess I should apologize for not speaking more often.”

Lorien paused, expressionless, long enough to make things uncomfortable. “What is it that you want most, Mr. Cotto?”

“I, uh.” The emperor stretched the collar of his nightgown with one finger. “I mean, I don't know... uh...”

“You had a specific thing in mind when you asked.” Lorien lowered his voice. “What do you want?”

The question settled like an anchor in the old man's gut. Emperor Cotto stood a little straighter despite the hump in his back. “The truth is I'm lonely, sir. I'm eighty-five years old and no one is here. My friends are all dead, as are my wives except the one who doesn't speak to me. My children all have positions and political offices where they wait patiently for me to die. They plan to dissolve my position, just like they threatened to all along. I'm the last emperor. They don't need me anymore.”

“So that means you're giving up?”

The emperor's pride failed him. “I miss the old days when life was smaller. When the universe felt less daunting. When I was a part of something...something intimate. I miss...” 

“A familiar face?” Lorien prompted. “An old friend to celebrate the day with, perhaps?”

The stranger stretched his elongated hand between them and it began to dissolve like sand, swirling down to gather in a column three feet from the ground. The pillar grew as Lorien's arm and chest sifted to dust, followed by his billowing robe and tall domed head. When Lorien was little more than a shimmer in the air, he passed the emperor a knowing smile and vanished in a flash of light. 

Londo Mollari landed flat-footed on the rug.

“Ach!” 

Emperor Cotto lurched forward and caught him by the forearms. They were real. He was real. The old man looked up into a face more familiar, now a days, than his own. “Londo?”

“Vir!” Mollari found his balance and reclaimed his hands. “I forgot how heavy this world was.”

The Emperor studied his predecessor and previous employer in mounting disbelief. Head to toe it was the man he met on Babylon 5 – from his commanding swagger to his receding hairline – yet he was no phantom from Vir's distant past. He wore a wine-colored coat Vir had never seen, edged in braided gold with a dark waistcoat and blue silk cravat. His tone and bearing were confident, but humbled, not like the diplomat at the casino or the broken emperor that died on the throne. This was the hero of Centauri Prime, returned to flesh and bone beyond all mortal comprehension. 

Londo frowned and reached for the old man's face. “My gods, Vir, what have you done to yourself?”

“Done?”

“Where is your hair?”

Vir pointed to the stand by the mirror. Londo turned and dropped his hands in defeat. “Great Maker what a mess.” He clomped over and squinted at the crown of gray and black. “Who did you hire to do this? A Narn?”

“L-londo what – ?”

“I leave and see what happens! I hope you haven't spent the last forty years a shambles, no civilization deserves to witness this catastrophe! I should die again of shame alone.” He turned to Vir over his shoulder and snapped a bemused grin. “Don't make that face, we'll sort it out for you. When's your appearance?”

“Appearance?”

“It's your ascension day, no?” Londo began a slow inspection of the room. “When I was at court, such occasions meant drunken debauchery for days. That might be a little much considering your... state... but a banquet at least, ah?”

“Londo,” the emperor tried and failed to evoke authority. “How are you – I mean – you're dead. You died decades ago, how can you be here?”

“You asked for me.” He tapped his lip and studied the hanging art. “I like what you've done with the place. Familiar, but somehow more modern. Is this human?”

“Yes, it was a gift.”

“Sheridan?”

“Garibaldi.”

“Garibaldi!” Londo barked a laugh. “To think he'd hang something without a mouse or a duck on it. I'll rib him when I get back. Is that really the time?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, then we should get moving!” He crossed behind Vir to the open wardrobe where a spread of white suits and sashes hung on padded hangers. “I see some things never change. Was this mine?” He held a suit to his chest. “Did you even tailor it?”

“Londo.” The emperor snatched the garment from his hand. “Explain yourself to me, if for no other reason than to keep my head on straight. Is this really happening or have I finally cracked?”

“No Vir, not cracked.” Londo cupped the old man's chin in his hand. “You've been given a gift! A chance to spend time with someone from your past! I'm flattered of course, you could have picked anyone. Lyndisty? Corlia? I'd have recommended Shesherra, she was a beauty, and a deceased lover can put a spring in your step, you can take my word on that!” He noticed the bar in the corner and beelined, pouring himself a splash of brivari and taking it in a shot. “I mean, of course I'll show you a good time, but I can only only get so drunk and even in death you're not my type. Here.” He poured two more shots and carried one back to the wardrobe. “Drink up.”

“Londo, it's barely dawn.”

“Don't be a stiff, Vir, I'm the corpse.” 

“Stop that.” The drink shook in the old man's hand. “Stop being so, so.... flippant! You're some kind of hallucination I'm having yet I hear your voice, I touched your hand, you're drinking my liquor – ”

“Technically it was mine first.”

“Are you actually, physically, here?”

“Yes.”

“Even though you're still dead?”

“Yes.”'

“And we're sure I'm not crazy?”

Londo bowed his head and rolled the full glass between his palms. “Forgive me, it appears I've gotten a bit carried away. This is an experience for both of us. Being on Centauri Prime is not new, I've looked in on you from time to time, of course, but it's not quite the same as being and feeling. Time passes so tangibly inside a mortal body, and I'm aware we don't have much to waste.” 

“What to you mean?”

Londo peered from beneath his heavy brows, his gray-blue eyes held weariness beyond his visible years. Vir could see the stain of lingering death on his heart and hear the weariness of lost dreams in his voice. “We have this day. No more.”

“You mean... this is it?”

“I'm your ascension gift, Vir. This time tomorrow, I'll be gone.”

There was a knock and a young Centauri entered from the hall. He spotted Londo with a start. “Oh! My apologies, I didn't know you had company.”

The emperor waved. “No, no, Roddi, it's --- ” Vir stopped mid thought. “You can see him?”

“Of course he can, I'm not a ghost!” Londo's diplomatic bombast carried him to the door. “Roddi, was it? You're the emperor's attendant? A pleasure to meet you. Who does his hair?”

The young man gaped. “I-I do.”

“Oh, of course. I should have expected.” Londo set his glass on nearby table and gripped the man's shoulder with his freed hand. “Would it burden you too terribly if I took on your job. Today is a bit of an occasion, so palace PR sent me as something of a style consultant. They're thinking something classical, you know, for the papers. You understand.”

“Uh, yes, yes of course.” Roddi squinted his darting eyes. “Has anyone told you you look like Emperor Mollari?”

“Maker – you know, I get that all the time? It's the accent, yes? Pushes it right over the edge.”

Vir cleared his throat. “Gentlemen?”

Roddi snapped a bow. “Sorry, your grace!”

“Up, up, for heaven's sake.” Vir assured. “Roddi this man is... uh... Abrahami Lincolni.”

Londo's face pulled in disgust.

“Abrahami Lincolni the second,” the emperor continued. “His father freed hundreds of Narns during the second occupation.”

“Oh!” Roddi beamed and shook the hand still locked in Londo's grip. “Was your family part of the Mollari Rebellion?”

It was Londo's turn to stutter. “The what?”

“The fall of Cartagia! We learned all about it in academy.”

“You did?”

“Roddi!” Vir called again. The young man jerked free of Londo's hand and into another bow. The emperor nodded back. “Thank you, as always, but Mr. Lincolni is going to take care of me today.”

“Yes, your grace.”

“And cancel my appointments. Have the prime minister represent me at all formal events.”

“Sir?”

The old man limped over, favoring his right hip, and placed a hand on Mollari's back. “Mr. Lincolni has come a long way to visit me. He is a very old and very good friend, I'll be spending the holiday with him.”

“Very good, sir.” Roddi smiled, bowed once more, and left.

Londo turned with a splay of coattails. “Cancel everything?”

“Londo,” Vir grunted. “There are portraits of you hanging all over this palace, and I don't want to call you 'Abrahami' for the rest of the day.”

“But surely – ” 

Vir took Londo's arm. The embroidered velvet was soft and so warm with wealth and life, the emperor took a moment simply to feel it. “If you're really real...” His grip strengthened with his resolve. “If I accept that you're real, then what has happened is... incredible. It's a miracle. I want to know everything; where have you been? What have you seen? What wisdom can you share from the great beyond?”

Londo made to protest but the emperor tightened his grip again.

“I have been emperor for forty-four ascension days. I've drunk wine with friends and family, kings and presidents, but the one person I missed at every one of them was you.” Tears stirred in eyes raw from earlier sadness. “Now that you're here, why would I spend it with anyone else?”

Londo's face was blank, but thoughts moved behind his eyes as he searched the emperor for something – Vir wasn't quite sure. Truth, perhaps? Mockery? Vir saw a flash of doubt and recognized the deeper, sadder side of the showman. As it floated to the surface he could see an honest, unclouded view of the man's heart. Londo's reached for his waiting glass. “To us, then.”

Vir lifted the drink he forgot he was holding. “To us.”

The glasses clinked and the brivari burned brightly as it went down.


	2. Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With all Ascension Day events cancelled, Emperor Cotto feels safe escorting his special guest through the halls.

Emperor Cotto was not as young as he used to be. His hips and knees were stiff and his spine permanently bent. He walked decently with a cane, but not even a wheeled chair would keep up with Londo Mollari. In life, the ambassador was not in the best health, his diet was atrocious and his stress levels nearly fatal, yet the reborn version moved like someone half his visible age. He was slimmer, too, Vir thought, if only just a little. Whatever existed after death, Londo wore it well. 

“It's so strange to be back here,” Mollari surveyed the palace walls. “What a jumble of feelings. Memories from every corner of my life – youth, career, and long after, although those are still a bit raw in me, I confess.”

Vir hated to press him, knowing what he'd endured. When Emperor Cotto took over, he waged war on the Drahk, but not even genocide would return the years Londo lost to them. The knot that rooted in Vir's chest during his fateful morning prayer returned with a dull ache. “How did you stand it?”

“Hm?”

“Being alone for so long.”

Londo's face darkened. His hands folded behind his back. “I was never alone.”

A pair of noblewomen passed them, headed the other way. They fluttered fans and curtsied. “Good morning, your grace.”

“Ladies.” Londo nodded and smirked at Vir, back to his jovial self. “You're sure you meant to cancel everything?”

“Did you come for me or did you come to party?”

“I could manage both.”

“Are there no girls in the great beyond?”

“Oh, on the contrary. Every girl who's ever lived is in the great beyond including four ex-wives, several one-night stands, and more than one jilted royal.”

Vir raised a gray eyebrow. “And Adira?”

"Ah..." Londo traded smugness for wide, contagious smile. “We spend as much of eternity together as we can.”

“I'm glad,” Vir beamed. “I mean it, I'm really happy considering all you both have been through.”

“Let's not dwell, I've spent too much time lost in regret as it is.”

“I was there for a lot of those regrets, you know,” Vir said.”If you could, would you take any back?”

“No, I would not.” Londo drew a heavy breath and slowed his steps. “I did much I am not proud of, but each of those decisions made me who I am, and I've done my penance for them. Life is a long succession of labor pains giving birth to new understanding. Some refuse to learn and die as awful as they lived, but some don't – some change – and the Rim is a second chance to put the lesson to practice.”

“Did you put it to practice, Londo?”

“I like to think so.”

“What do you do with it, then?”

“Oh, this and that. I wouldn't want to bore you.”

“I asked.”

Londo shrugged. “Suffice it to say the universe created life to better understand itself. This galaxy and those beyond are its body and I am a cell in its immune system. I go where it wants me to go and I do what it needs me to do.”

“You appear to other people?”

He chuckled. “Sometimes, not often. I cut an imposing figure. No, I'm usually a peripheral element. I've seen prayers answered, delivered inspiration, even set a few straight who'd gone astray.” Londo stopped and turned. “It seems I'm of good use for that.”

“It sounds fantastic. Do you think...” Vir's lip trembled, “the Universe has a use for me?”

“I'm doubly sure of it.” Londo put a hand on the emperor's shoulder. The old man blushed and sniffled, leaning hard on his cane. He dabbed his eye with his brocade sleeve and tried to swallow the knot that was now in his throat. Londo clapped him on the back. “I'm starving. Is there breakfast?”

“No, I mean... I usually take it in my room.”

Londo grimaced and shook his head. “We'll see what we can manage.”

They moved toward the dining hall, past paintings of deceased noblemen, great battles, and beautiful vistas. Londo ventured ahead, naming what he could, delighting in what he couldn't. Vir did his best to answer questions and keep up with Londo's pace, again impressed by the man's mysterious vigor. The emperor had to stop and rest before shakily following his friend down the grand stairwell. 

“Now this is a memory,” Londo said as he reached the first landing. “Did I ever tell you about the first time I was presented at court? I was shaking so hard my knees knocked together but my father, font of wisdom that he was, told me to wait right here until he came to get me, knowing full well the emperor's entourage would walk right over me on its way to the banquet. I am sure I looked a fool, but for what it was worth, it taught me to stay on my toes – ” He noticed Emperor Cotto's halting descent and scampered back up. “Ah, sorry Vir, give me your hand.”

“I'm impressed... Londo...” Vir handed Mollari the cane and clutched his waiting arm. “Do you tire at all?”

“This body has less distance on it than yours.”

“Do you have a body beyond the Rim?”

“I do. Not this one – the rules are different. Here, we'll stop on the landing.”

“We should have taken the lift.” Vir leaned on the banister. “I hope I get a young body again.”

“You get whatever you feel fits.”

“Is this how you look all the time or just when you're with me?”

“You mean the hint of gray?” He smirked. “Yes, I like this face. I earned it. It feels most like home.”

“So if I liked it as your attache, I could go back to that?”

“There are people whose lives never improved past childhood and so they are. I find it sad, but as Mr. Garibaldi likes to say – each man's an island.” 

Vir resumed the descent with a weary sigh. “I'm looking forward to it.”

They completed their journey and entered a silk-lined dining hall. The table was set for hundreds, ready for a feast from which the emperor was gladly excused. Large gatherings weren't what they used to be, he couldn't hear terribly well and a room of voices made the problem worse. He recalled many impressive gatherings from his past, though. So many friends. 

“Hello?” Londo called aloud. He left the emperor at the door and charged toward the service entrance. “Excuse me? Footman? Whoever's there?”

Vir sighed. “Don't yell at them, Londo.”

“I'll handle this. Waiter? Get me the chef!”

He vanished into the back room. Vir dragged his bad leg into a staging area designed to dress dishes and drinks. A small prepping stating stood at the back with a fully stocked liquor cabinet. Londo had vanished, but Vir could hear him in the main kitchen, down another flight of stairs. 

“Eggs and toast. What are you saying, you want him to starve? Get to it. We don't have all day.”

Vir shook his head until his guest returned. “There's no need to be rude.”

“It's confidence! A strong presence demands others' respect!”

“That and hunger always made you cranky.” Vir propped his cane against the wall. “Wait there. A hot jalla will calm you back down.”

“Ah, ah no,” Londo cut him off. “Don't serve me, Vir, you're the emperor. I'll fix for you.”

“You don't have to.” 

“I insist.” He tugged his cuffs back. “What would you like? Tea? Spice water? Jalla for us both?”

“That, please.”

“As you wish.”

He started the burner and found what he needed in cabinets nearby. Vir watched him, bemused, and leaned against the counter. “I still don't quite believe this is happening.”

“What? I'm an excellent bartender.”

“You at all.”

“Oh, that again.” He shook a tumbler full of steaming liquid. “Get used to it quickly, we've been at this for hours.”

“I think you're asking too much,” Vir smiled. “I'll see tomorrow if the staff remembers your commanding tone, or if they found me wandering the halls in giddy madness and put me to bed.”

“It would fit the job description,” Londo doled the drinks into pewter chalices. “I'm sure the staff during my tenure thought me quite mad.”

“No!” Vir assured. 

“But I was! Sitting alone, talking to myself, mood swings like a blade...”

“Londo...”

A maid carrying a tray appeared on the stairs, but stopped with a start. “Your grace? I didn't expect to find you back here!”

“It's fine, my dear, our apologies, it's been an unusual day.”

“Thank you, sir.” She curtsied and turned to Londo. “Everything as you requested, sir. If you'd both have a seat in the dining room...?”

“Yes, I think we will. And...” he tapped his glass. “Two more of these.”

“Yes sir.”

Londo raised his eyebrows to Vir with a self-entitled smirk. “Commanding tone.”

They returned to the dining room. Emperor Cotto was more than glad to sit down, his back hurt and despite the morning hour, all the activity left him quite sleepy. The maid set the tray of food between them and bowed before exiting. 

Vir set down his cup and grabbed a slice of toast. “So is there food in the afterlife?”

“Yes, all our needs are met.” Londo helped himself. “It's not the same, though. I feel like I say that a lot.”

“How's it different?” 

“Everything here is chemistry.”

“There's no chemistry 'beyond'?”

Londo's mouth was full. He waved Vir off. “You're all questions. Tell me something for once. How's life? How's the throne? How's Centauri Prime?”

“Life... goes,” Vir hemmed. “The throne's fine – now a days, it's a lot of sitting.”

“Sounds about right.”

“Centauri Prime is great. All the damage you remember is built again, bigger and better. We have new monuments to old heroes and temples to new gods, and the embassies for the Alliance worlds are like tiny countries, each unique but with a certain Centauri punch that gives them some flair. There are actual aliens living here, Londo! Even the Narns! We're a cosmopolitan city, now. I wish I could show you.”

“I wish you could. Our empire is restored at last.”

“Indeed! Even the Alliance welcomed us back, after a little bargaining.”

“Hmph.” Londo finished his jalla and shoved the cup aside, his enthusiasm run equally dry. “I'm glad the problems I left for you were manageable ones.”

“You would prefer they weren't?”

“Did I say that?”

“You implied it.”

Londo returned Vir's nonplussed look with added impatience. “I'm not a fool, Vir, I know what my reputation among the people must be. A detached, humorless despot enshrined in a castle tower, festering hate toward old friends he obviously used to reach the throne. And then, when we were finally on our feet, I declare a war no one wanted that we were not prepared to win. I'm sure they curse my name across multiple worlds.” 

“That's not being fair.”

He stared a moment, sulking hard, and dismissed the rest of his breakfast to slouch in his seat. “Yes it is.”

The maid returned with the second round of drinks. Londo didn't acknowledge her. Vir murmured thanks and she left the steaming cups on the table. 

The emperor considered what card to play next; guilt? Pity? If Londo really was his ascension gift, it was Vir's right to say whatever made him happiest in the moment, but making Londo feel worse was not satisfying in the least. No, what made Vir happiest was a chance to prove the melodramatic bastard wrong. 

“Get up.”

Londo frowned. “What?”

“I said 'get up.'” Vir wrestled his old knees back to standing position. “Get your drink and come with me.”

The emperor limped away from the dining room and out to the public gardens where gravel and hedgerows were laid in arching rays from a central fountain. Vir walked the gardens often in summer, it was his favorite way to burn away the little stamina he had left, and he'd commissioned a ton of changes throughout his reign. Zones with alien fauna grew along the outer edge, including a zen garden the emperor's life felt somewhat empty without. 

Londo's drink went cold before he finished it. He left it on a bench. “Where are we going, Vir?”

“You'll see.”

“Do we have time for this?”

“I'm proving a point.”

They took the wide central path, where marble sculptures of ascendant gods and emperors waited within decorative archways. Each was dressed in the ornaments and trappings of their reign. Emperors Tuscano, Gon, and Venzen were fixed with gold circlets and rays to denote godhood. Morell lifted a glass in toast, Turis had a perched hunting bird, Olion held a protractor on his heart and saber behind his back, Turhan's sculpture was crestless by request of his surviving wives, and Cartagia's stood with arms wide and scratches of indiscernible graffiti up and down his sides. A pedestal meant for Cotto's own sculpture waited at the end of the line. He cast the empty space a cursory glance and stopped at the shrine directly across. 

“You know where we are, Londo?”

“Of course,” he huffed.

“It's the ceremonial garden,” Vir fixed him with a stern look. “Where the rulers of our race are placed in eternal honor.”

“Yes, I know.” Londo grunted. “I'm dead, Vir, not stupid, and I don't appreciate your tone.”

“You want to know how your people remember you, well, here it is.” He gestured to the sculpture behind him. Londo had to round the vine-stretched portcullis for a clear view. Inside was Mollari the Second, his usual brooch placed strategically on his right shoulder, and a second figure shaking hands with him across a sheild of stars. Londo stopped short and found himself staring into the marble face of the prophet G'Kar. 

Londo's posture shifted from stiff and tense with irritation to loose shoulders and weakened knees. His hand shook as it rose to cover his mouth. “Is this...”

“They know about the Drahk,” Vir said. “They know about Cartagia and the Shadows and Babylon 5. They know everything. Because I told them. I wrote it all down.”

“You did this?”

“I did the research and published the history, but the Centaurum commissioned the statue.” Vir softened. “Emperor Mollari, always so quick to fall on your own sword, but you don't write your own legacy as much as you think you do. What people see when they look back depends entirely on what they consider the most important at the time. You saved Centauri Prime, freed the Narns, and died in service to peace. You're also the one who earlier this very same day, told me you were good for putting lives back on course.”

Tears pooled in his smokey eyes. Londo cleared his throat, reached forward, and touched the figures' clasped hands. “I wish he could see this.”

Londo blinked and tears fell, drawing his mind back from somewhere distant as they wet his reddening cheeks. He drew his hand from the marble, wiped his face on this velvet sleeve, and turned to Vir with his head bowed.

“I suppose I am a fool, Vir. I apologize.”

“No apologies needed,” the emperor smirked. “The look on your face is enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (special thanks to this special fandom for the sculpture idea. It was too sweet not to include.)


	3. Midday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The emperors revisit old haunts to reminisce

“Now this room... I've seen.” 

The third floor throne room echoed with the tap of Emperor Cotto's cane as the two nobles entered. Vir didn't use it for much more than show, now a days. It was too much of a hassle to get to when there were plenty of receiving halls and conference rooms on the same floor as his quarters. 

He spent his first year as emperor on the move, personally overseeing much of the Drakh war, and making a point to speak directly with Alliance leaders. He assumed that his time aboard Babylon 5 would earn the Centauri Republic some points toward re-admittance, which proved true, but when he got back to Centauri Prime, he found himself shackled to the red velvet seat, surrounded by counts and courtesans every hour of the day. Considering Mollari II's unusual privacy, a full court was a return to normal for the citizens of Centauri Prime, but the same four walls got old really quick, and there were times when simply being in there was enough to depress him – as if the room was haunted by Londo's tortured ghost.

Londo approached a window to the right of the throne and drew the curtains. “Thank you for being rid of all the white. I don't think I could stand to enter otherwise.”

Vir stared at his wrinkled hands. “Neither could I.”

“I visited you, you know.” Mollari swallowed hard and turned his back on the view. “Here in this room. I was there at your coronation.”

“You were?”

“Only for a moment. The 'new arrivals' aren't advised to leave the Rim alone unless its on assignment – something about forming attachments and forgetting how to return – but I asked and they gave me ten whole minutes. It wasn't much, but I saw them put the crown on, and I suppose that was enough.”

“I wish I knew,” Vir cleared his throat. “I wanted you to be there.”

“It pained me to miss it, even when I was alive. Lady Morella told us you'd be emperor after I died, which meant I'd be absent for the greatest moment of your political career – your fully risen star!” He clasped his hands with a laugh. “And look at you now! Eighty-five years old and not assassinated yet, how in the world did you do it?”

“I tried not to make many enemies.”

“What a foreign concept.”

Vir smirked. “That and the Cottos are a bunch of nobodies. Who has dirt on a family with two or three tiny little branches? Not like the Mollaris, gods, I've got blackmail on them for days.”

“How are the Prideful Blowhards doing?”

“Well enough. In a way I married in... Jeserel is your great great grandneice five times removed or something.”

“What an honor for you,” Londo shrugged in disdain. “I hope none of your children inherit our luck.”

“I don't have any – not with Jeserel – she was less than enthusiastic to be married to a man more than twice her age, even if he was the emperor.”

“That's the curse of these modern times, again. In my day she would be honored beyond words.” Londo sobered a little. “Of course in my day, she wouldn't have had a choice and been left terribly unhappy no matter the outcome. It's no surprise we took a dark path. Happiness and fairness are things I only found in death.” Londo shook his head. “What of your other children. How many do you have?”

“Twelve.”

“Twelve!” Londo guffawed. “Good job.”

“Seven boys and five girls with four wives. My youngest, Caspir, died in battle about ten years ago.”

“I'm sorry for the sad news,” Londo said. “I wish I'd known, I would have met him at the gate.”

“He arrived with his shipmates, I'm sure he wasn't lonely.”

“I'll look him up when I get back.”

Vir's face tightened. He cleared his throat. “The rest are in politics. Two are governors, three are in the Centaurum. My oldest is even ambassador to the Alliance headquarters on Minbar.”

“Good for him!”

“Her,” Vir grinned. “My first daughter.”

“Her?” Londo's thumbed his chin a moment and heaved a heavy sigh. “You know, good for her! And good for you! It's about time. I should like to meet this woman, I'm sure she's a war horse.”

“I should hope so, I named her after you.”

“You're joking.” 

“Lonnah.” Vir grinned. “I don't think the rest of universe noticed, though.”

“Thank the Maker. It would have done her no favors.” Londo rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Honestly. You named your first child after me?”

“Well she was a girl so we couldn't name her after me.”

“Astounding.” The hand moved to cover his mouth. “I... I can't find words.”

“A first!” The old man chuckled. “I think you underestimate the impact you've had on my life, Londo Mollari. If I was never on Babylon 5, I'd probably still be the whipping boy of my uncle's house... I wouldn't have married well and I certainly wouldn't be emperor.”

"For better or worse." He cracked another smile. “So... Ambassador Lonnah Cotto? How did the centaurum agree to that? They aren't keen on bending the rules.”

“Oh they hated it, but the guy they picked for the job was terrible, so I invoked an executive order. Lonnie was perfect, she's been gnawing to break the system from day one – practically crawled her way out of the womb – and never once agreed to a thing she didn't believe in.”

“Ah, so she takes after you.” 

The emperor bowed his head, heart full, and bones heavy. “Do you mind if I sit down?”

“Oh, no, please.” Londo gestured to the throne. “It's your seat.”

Vir's knees shook as he ascended the short platform and eased into the familiar gold and red velvet chair. The thing once felt so opulent, but now was just a thing. It could be have been any chair on Centauri Prime but for the number of men who killed to sit on it, even including the man before him. Londo paced absently around the room, regarding the pillars and décor; looking everywhere but the throne. 

“Did you ever want it?” 

Londo completed his lap at the window where he'd started. “Hm?”

“To be emperor.” Vir said. “You told me once you didn't, then Cartagia happened.”

“Anyone was better than Cartagia.” He flicked the curtain closed. “Even I was better than Cartagia.”

“Was it part of why you killed him?” 

Londo finally glanced up, pale eyes icy.

The emperor shifted uncomfortably against the velvet backing. “I mean... I agree with that. You can't impeach an emperor and he WAS going to get us nuked. Heck I did it, I'm sure you remember.”

“Me becoming emperor was never the question.” Londo fumed as he approached. “It was fate. An inevitability that, in honesty, I tried everything I could to escape. Everything short of running. I knew this chair – ” He leaned forward on the armrests, hedging Vir in. His face darkened in the shadow. “Was my death sentence and my gut told me much worse. No, I didn't want to be emperor, Vir, because I knew it would end badly but had no idea the extent. This throne was a prison.” 

He backed away, visibly shaken, and buried the moment's weakness under sour grumbling. 

“But better me than you.”

Vir wrung his hands in his lap. The protruding veins and age spots stretched with each pass. “I – I know the circumstances were pretty atypical.”

Londo 'hmph'ed and turned away.

“But for what it's worth, I thought you'd make a great emperor,” Vir said. “I remember when the centaurum told me their decision, I thought 'Yes. Good. Now he can do it.' You'd changed so much since we met. You knew how to speak with other races, and could make the tough decisions. There were a lot of times as emperor that I faced a 'no win' scenario, and when I came to a choice I didn't want make I'd ask myself 'what would Londo do?' and I'd find the strength to make the call. Part of me always wanted to give you the chance you never had.” 

“I was unfit to lead.”

“You were a natural.”

“Then at best I was a steward.” Londo approached again, more genial, and stopped with one foot on the podium and one foot on the floor. “Lady Morella told us you would inherit my throne, but the position was tainted, and I was a contributing factor as to why. I owed the Centauri a true ruler, and that was never me.”

“But, Londo – ”

“How I would or would not have served as emperor is not important. How I did serve is what matters. You were the better of us and I would rather the Keeper strip my bones than see you inherit it's burden. Everything I did, I did for your reign. And look at you! Back in the Alliance, sustained peace, Centauri Prime a hub of social evolution... it's everything I dreamed of. I should thank you! In fact I will.” Londo tugged his coat as he straightened and swept into a bow. “From the bottom of my heart, your grace.”

“Don't, Londo.” Vir staggered from his seat and grabbed Londo's arm as he rose. “Don't bow to me. And don't call me 'your grace', please. I get that from everyone and it's not me. I'm not... that. You saw my beginnings, you know who I am. Don't change it because of where I sit.”

“Calm down, Vir, it's all right.” Londo clasped the old man's shaking hand against his arm. 

The emperor breathed deep and lent Londo some of his weight. “I'm so tired.” 

“Of course you are. This room would exhaust anyone.” He looped a supportive arm around Vir's back. “Let's find a place with more than one chair.”

There was a private sitting room behind an unassuming wooden door, opposite the gold entryway. Previous emperors used it as spare quarters. Emperor Cotto used it as more of an inspiration room and filled it with souvenirs of his life to help ground him; pictures of friends and family, relics from battles both won and lost, even the coutari he once smashed a Drazi fruit stand with. 

Londo let him down easily on an overstuffed sofa and took the room in with a nod. “For such a progressive ruler, you do trend nostalgic.”

“Who are we but a collection of experiences?”

Londo's smile widened past both sets of incisors. “Is that from the book of G'Kar?”

“You recognize it?”

“Of course! I've read it twenty times.” He shook his head. “Of course he still refuses to consider my notes. The Narn has terrible spelling.”

“You read Narn?”

“Narn, two kinds of Minbari, three or four Earth languages, a handful of other races. I tried Drazi but it was boring, and Gaim is nothing but screeching. I'm impressed they understand it.”

“Did you learn all this beyond the Rim?”

“No, no, in life! It was a way to pass the time.” Londo thumbed his chin. “Actually, I'm not sure language practically exists in the afterlife. I've never needed an interpreter so I suppose not. Maybe I should have learned something else.” 

“So everyone lives together?”

“Races mingle where they will. The Rim is a big place were a lot of souls gather. We tend to mingle with those who we are most comfortable and often that means each his own kind.” Londo considered a scale model of Babylon 5 hovering in a glass case by the door. “There are exceptions, of course.”

“And you?”

“Ironically there are not a whole lot of Centauri I'd choose to spend my time with.” Londo turned with a 'hmph.' “My friends are my family. I hope to add you to the number when the time is right.”

Vir beamed. “You will, I promise.” 

A huge family portrait hung on the opposite wall. A younger Vir sat at the center, surrounded by wives and children of various ages. Londo strolled toward it. “A handsome bunch.” He gestured to the tallest daughter; a pale beauty wearing a braided diadem and her straight hair in a ponytail. “Lonnah?”

Vir nodded.

“Did you tell her about me?” 

“Only the best parts.”

“I certainly hope not.”

Emperor Cotto bowed his head. “I told her you were passionate, stubborn, patriotic, conniving, a bitter romantic, and at times much too trusting. All the good things, but so many of those good things were also your downfall. She's got a lot of the same traits, with a fiery sense of justice. I wouldn't want her to emulate her namesake too closely.”

Londo slid him an incredulous glance. 

Vir threw up his hands. “All I can share is my experience. The rest she learned in school.”

“How old is she now?”

“Forty-one.”

“Married?”

“To a son of Tavari. He thought he was getting a deal, but she largely ignores him.”

“The best marriages are like that.”

“I beg to differ.”

“As is your right,” Londo sighed and found the liquor cabinet. The man was a magnet for liquor. “Would you like something?”

“No, thank you.”

“Then I hope you don't mind.” He poured himself a healthy portion and took a place beside Vir on the couch. “When I was emperor this room is where I met with Shiv'kala. His telepathy through the Keeper was limited by distance, but this room was close enough that he could play his little spy game. Nasty fellow, Shiv. I messed with him when I could, but he had no sense of humor. The fun was fleeting and often costly. Worth it, though.” He took a long sip on his drink. “Yes, still worth it.”

Vir gulped. “He lived in here?”

“Hell if I know. The bastard could turn invisible.” He finished the glass in a shot. “I'm not sure how many were ever here. His was the only name I knew. He controlled most the guard staff like drones, I wondered often if he was spread thin, or if there were hundreds of Drakh living along the floorboards in the walls.”

“That's horrifying.”

“It was a constant reminder that my autonomy was a blessing, but also that the Drakh still needed my resources. It would have been easier to use my body without the mind, but the mind has tactics, experience, and a personality that's hard to fake.”

“You were never short on personality.”

“I was on occasion.” Londo sobered. “I tried to be on others; every moment of film, every conversation with another person was a hint I could lay, hoping the accumulation would signal someone to come in and help us.”

“I could see it.” Vir met Londo's eye with as much ferocity as he could muster. “We knew something was happening, I wish we'd moved earlier.”

Londo smiled, wearily. “You came just in time.”

“Still, I can't imagine...” Vir's stiff left hip ached as he leaned forward. “Living for so long without control of yourself, without a moment's peace, knowing every move you made was fuel for your enemy to use against us.”

“It was an odd amalgamation of weakness and power,” Londo agreed. “It took some time to learn the rules, and there were still doubts all the way to the end, you'll never hear me say I mastered it. I still regret some of the actions I facilitated in those early years before I understood my options – I add them to the chart of my past mistakes – but I honestly did my best. Honestly. And I'm grateful my friends now understand that.” 

A moment of silence passed between them as a stirring moved in Emperor Cotto's heart. He cleared his throat as his guest swirled a drop of amber around the bottom of his glass. “Londo?”

“Hm?”

“You were right before; it doesn't matter what kind of emperor you would have been if things were different. You were a good emperor. You deserved to have the throne.”

A sentimental smile spread his face. He set his glass on the armrest and patted Vir's knee. “I was keeping it warm for you.”


	4. Evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emperor Cotto's Ascension Day events draw to a close

The tour ended on a broad rooftop veranda from which they could see the garden, the city, and miles out to the sea. Vir loved watching Centauri Prime from above; he felt close enough to touch it, yet far enough to appreciate it for the work of art it was. The sunset lingered on parade paths marked with colorful banners as they snaked through the different districts from business and economy to residence and recreation. Lanterns hung on strings, music echoed, and for the first time that day, Vir was sorry he wasn't part of the event.

Londo stood at the rail, his wine-colored coat caught in the breeze and his face lit by orange light. He gave his life for Centauri Prime, and as the quiet moment stretched into minutes, Vir could tell the love was still strong. 

“The last time I saw this place, it was under siege.” Londo's voice was soft and raw. “Seeing it now is like... a song you know by heart, can't recall the lyrics until you hear the tune.” 

“A lot of time has passed since you were last here.” 

“Time.” Londo removed his hands from the rail and clasped them behind his back. “I can feel it passing.”

The day was ending. The knot reformed Vir's chest with soreness like an overused muscle. He shifted his cane between his hands and joined Londo at the rail. “You know, I think this might be my favorite place in the palace. I used to stand here for hours watching the weather move by. A thunderstorm on the hillside is breathtaking. It can bring you to your knees.”

“Do you come up here often?”

“Not so much anymore, I'm afraid. The past couple years, I've mostly kept to myself.”

Londo pressed his lips into a forced smile. “I'm glad today was an exception.”

“I couldn't let you visit home without a getting a good look at it.”

“It does me good.” His tone warmed. “I have seen hundreds of worlds throughout this galaxy. I've visited places no Centauri has ever seen; worlds we thought dead, abandoned by the oldest races, now cradling the youngest at the dawn of their time. I've seen nature in its purest form, and sapient civilization at the peak of innovation, yet in spite of it all nothing can compare to a view like this. There will always be a place in my heart for Centauri Prime.”

Vir unsuccessfully cleared his throat. “Have you really seen all those things?” 

“Oh yes. We were once on assignment in the darkest part of an alien world – pitch black. I thought, of course, what could Lorien possibly have me do here, when I cannot see even an inch before my own eyes. So I turn to my companions and I ask for their opinion and with my first word, the walls of the cave lit up in waves of bio-luminescence. Each tone was a different color and brightness, and our voices danced together, leading us to an encampment where a lost group of stranded Gaim were huddled in the dark. You see, to them the air was toxic, and they spoke together through radios within their suits. Their voices never touched the receptive organisms in the walls, but when we spoke, our colors led them back into the light.” Londo chuckled. “We were bickering, but to them, it was nothing short of a miracle.” 

The Emperor drew an awestruck gasp. “Will I see places like that?”

“If you like, but let's not rush things. Today we're celebrating your life. What's the fondest memory you can think of? Something I haven't seen.”

Vir's wrinkled brow furrowed. “That's a tough question. A lot has happened in my lifetime. Love, victory in war, more than one drunken night when all the mysteries of the world lost meaning... but at risk of sounding cliché, the births of my children were probably the most beautiful in my memory. Something about new life beginning, despite all the deaths I've caused or witnessed. Lonnah was born the year the we were finally rid of the the Drakh presence at home. It was a moment of total safety and promise for the new world. Then, when Virrin came, I knew my throne was taken care of. I tried to raise him right, but he's got his own ideas. His mother had a hand in that, I suspect. She never much liked my open-door policies.”

“Ah, Lyndisty, I remember.”

“Her father raised her a fierce xenophobe. We talked about it often, but it kept us at a bit of a distance.”

“Did she ever come around?”

“Oh yes, she was a good wife. I introduced her to enough Narn socialites to prove her preconceptions wrong. Na'Toth came by once and gave her a firm tongue lashing. You know how she was.”

“Oh yes, I know.”

“Needless to say, they weren't friends. She got on well with Earthers and Minbari, though, and I think that did more good. You can't speak to the Sheridans without a little compassion rubbing off.”

“Yes, how are they doing? David and Delenn?”

The Emperor paused. “Delenn? You mean she's not beyond the Rim?”

“No, and we've been waiting for her.” Londo returned the frown. “You don't know where she is either?”

“The last I heard she was on Minbar. She stopped answering my letters. Everyone assumed she passed.” 

“Not yet.” Londo crossed his arms, troubled. “That would make her over one-hundred twenty at least... I knew her to be stubborn...I wonder if John was right.”

“Right?”

“She's living for them both now.”

Vir's chest tightened. Despite his best effort, his eyes filled with tears. “She must be so lonely. Can't you go find her? Can't Sheridan find her?”

Londo shifted. “Lorien can.”

“Why doesn't he send you?”

“I suppose we're not needed.”

“What do you mean? Isn't curiosity enough?” Vir bristled. “I know John probably misses her. You came to check on me, why can't he check on her just to see how she is and give her peace.”

“I don't know the answers, I'm a part of a bigger machine. The old ones are at the head, and Lorien's the oldest of all. He has his reasons.”

“And you can live with that?”

“I don't have a choice,” Londo replied. “I can ask for permission, but Lorien only puts me where I need to be. He sent me to watch your coronation, but I couldn't let you know – it would change the way you thought and behaved, and I couldn't stay long or it would affect my future, as well. Wherever Delenn is now, whatever she is doing, she must have a part to play either here or beyond the Rim. I have to trust that Lorien knows it. Who can I rely on if not him?"

“I don't like that answer,” Vir grumbled. “If she needs help, it's our job to give it. After all, we are her friends...”

Shadow fell between them as the sun hugged the horizon. The garden stretched, lit by hanging lamps and palace windows. People loitered near the fountain. The white statues of the memorial garden glowed faintly in the light. The emperor spotted his waiting pedestal at the far end and a sick feeling churned to life in his gut.

“So,” Londo ventured. “This has been an interesting day, ah?”

A bolt of panic lanced between Vir's hearts. “I hope that's not a segue to goodbye.”

“No, no, not yet.” Londo took his shoulder. “Relax, Vir, you look pale.”

“I'm not...well.. you know.” He took the supportive wrist. “It has been quite a day.”

“A bit of an emotional space flight to say the least.” He led Vir back inside, where the lamps and candles drove out darkness and it was easier to see. “Tell me, what would you be doing if I were not here? What was on the slate for Emperor Cotto's Ascension Day?”

The Emperor shook his head. “Well, I'd have had breakfast in my quarters. Roddi would gussy me up for the cameras and there'd be a press conference before noon, then parades throughout the day where this year my Prime Minister got to sit on a lot of fancy floats, and finally an exhausting barefoot banquet with gifts and feigned gratitude and drunk nobles that will last until the morning.”

“The banquet's going on without us?”

“Yes, in the dining hall. We saw them setting up for it earlier.”

“We should make an appearance. It's been a long time since I was at court.”

“Gods, spare me, Mr. Lincolni. That's the last thing I would want.”

“But food, wine, women... perhaps musical entertainment? Dancing? A speech? Or will the Prime Minister handle that, too?”

“I'm sure my writers prepared a statement.”

“I'm surprised you didn't write your own.”

“I didn't expect to be playing hooky.” 

“Hm,” Londo nodded. “I hope this visit didn't cause trouble. Suddenly canceling public events is sure to stir the whole court and prompt a lot of hasty excuses.”

“I'm not concerned. Everyone knows my health's declining. I wouldn't be surprised if they already had an obituary.”

“Suddenly so negative.” Londo's face wrinkled. “Why not have a little fun? The rest of the planet's managed it. Come on, we can sneak down and grab a cocktail and get out.”

“I'd rather not.”

“Why?”

Vir sneered at him. "I'd have to remove my shoes."

"You have people to take care of that."

“I don't want to have to explain you to a hundred curious nobles.”

“You already gave me an alibi.”

“Then I don't want to account for myself.” The Emperor glowered. “I don't need their feigned concern or that hint of anxious hope behind their eyes when they think perhaps this injury or illness is the one that puts me in the ground. I'm not as senile as they think I am, I know what's going on.”

“Those looks follow anyone powerful.”

“From their own family?”

“Often. An inherited throne is like bait on a hook. Those close enough to the line can see the clearest avenue to a bite.”

“How about when there's nothing to gain?” Vir prompted. “The Alliance functions as a democratic republic, and powerful members of the Centaurum have adopted the model here – take executive privilege out of one man's authority and spread it around a little among all the ruling houses.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“No one likes to be unwanted. Even worse – unwanted and useless.”

“Come now, no one's useless,” Londo leaned in. “And who has made you feel unwanted? I'll have them flogged.”

A grin tugged the old man's lip. “You're not emperor, Mr. Lincolni.” 

“I don't have to be to have a certain amount of authority. The Alliance may be democratic, but even they have a ruling president whose vote carries weight. I'll remind you that neither of us were born to take the throne. The Centaurum voted and I ascended. You earned your place after the revolution. If they disapproved of your rule they would have done away with you long ago.”

“How comforting.”

“Listen, Vir. Hear me. Stop thinking in absolutes. Things change, but not only that, they adapt. You can't let what people say about you change your whole perspective.”

“I'm eighty-five years-old, Londo. It's a little late for a pep talk.”

Londo seethed a moment in frustration and took the emperor's arm. “Come with me.”

“To where?” 

“Your Ascension Day. You want to hear what people think of you? Now would be the time.”

They took the halls faster than Vir thought physically possible. His cane bounced along the floor behind his stumbling feet. “Londo!” Vir stuttered with every step. “I implore you. Seriously. This is not a good idea. I don't want to go down there, I told you!”

“All the more reason why you should.”

“But shoes -”

"Never mind the shoes."

A low hum filled the hallways on the middle floors, swelling into a riot of voice and music the closer they got to the main stairwell. To Vir's relief, Londo avoided the obvious entrance and took them down the service elevator into the kitchen, itself.

A fleet of barefoot chefs and waiters took a collective start. Someone dropped a saucepan and yelped in pain. 

“Y-your grace!” The nearest sous-chef tore off his gloves. “What are – why? How can we help you?”

Vir raised both hands. “We're just – ” 

“Carry on, everyone, we're just passing,” Londo swept up an outside aisle past the soup station and up the flight of steps that led to the staging area. Waiters carrying plates of appetizers froze mid-step. Londo grabbed a fluted cocktail glass off the nearest tray and stirred the air with his hand. “Who's in charge of the floor?”

A masculinely dressed Centauri woman appeared. “I am, sir.”

“What point are we in the program?”

“Provided drinks are out. Specialty orders in. App's on the rounds with the dinner bell in ten.”

“Who's speaking?”

“The emcee, then the Minister goes on in five.”

“Perfect.”

The waiter turned her attention to the emperor. “Should I announce you, your grace?”

“No, no, no! We aren't going in.” 

"Yes we are." Londo traded his finished drink for a new one. “Come along, Vir, we'll lurk about the back.”

They followed a server into the main hall where hundreds of overdressed and shoeless capitol diplomats and dignitaries chatted around three long tables full of fruit and finger sandwiches. The master of ceremonies stood on a raised stage at the far end, surrounded by a live band and beckoning the guests to take their seats with a wand-like microphone. Vir noted his empty seat at the he head of the center table, set and ready for him to change his mind about dinner. His prime minister was seated nearby, shuffling index cards, the pale crest of hair on his head was striped with blazes of black at the temples. The man had never been far from Centauri space – and certainly never to Earth – but his unfortunate aging always reminded Vir of a badger. Other spaces were filled by members of the Centaurum, various ministers, alien ambassadors, and prominent cultural personalities. His oldest son, Virrin, was there with his two wives, although he was seated with his fellow politicians along the right side of the hall. Places meant for his other children were empty. They hadn't even set one for Jeserel.  
.  
“Attention, please!” The emcee spoke and the lights in the back of the hall dimmed. It gave Vir a little extra comfort. He tucked in tight behind Londo, praying not to be seen. The posture gave him uncomfortable flashbacks to other times, long ago, when he held the ambassador as a shield. 

“Thank you all for coming! We welcome especially those who have traveled in from off-world, we hope you enjoyed the day's festivities. Unfortunately Emperor Cotto will not be joining us, citing personal reasons. On his behalf, I welcome Prime Minister Darrak Yson.”

Polite applause followed the prime minister to the stage. He tucked his cards into his jacket pocket and took the microphone in hand. “Good evening.”

The crowd murmured. 

“To start I echo regrets that Emperor Cotto will not be joining us. I assure you, it is not for any reason health or otherwise, even at eighty-five the emperor is of sound mind, quick wit, and valid judgment, which is why I'd like to take a moment to reflect on this life.”

Vir pressed his forehead into Londo's back. “Oh gods.”

“Vir Cotto was born to house Cotto on Centauri Prime. He lost both his parents young, and lived in his uncle's household where he began his political career as an assistant to the family leaders. In 2258, he took a position on Babylon 5 as attache to Emperor Mollari II, then ambassador, whom he replaced upon the emperor's coronation. Emperor Cotto learned much on Babylon 5; how to negotiate with other races, manage domestic politics, and handle situations in both war and peace. It is thanks to this life experience that we are the thriving republic we are today.”

The prime minister paused and pulled the cards back out of his pocket. He thumbed through them, pausing on one in the middle of the stack, and sighed before stuffing them in his back pocket, instead. 

“Actually, there are things I would like to say about Emperor Cotto that I think you all should hear. I probably shouldn't be so frank, but he's not here to question it, so I might as well. Emperor Cotto is a young man in both his heart and his mind – a child – but more than that, he's a child whose seen the worst.

“As any boy turned orphan, he's lived his whole life with a stark sense of impermanence. He knows things are temporary, but temporary also means change. All the days I've known him, he's never once relied on tradition for the mere sake of tradition alone. When he rose to power he re-established much of what those old enough to recall the reign of Emperor Turhan remembered of the old ways, but he also adapted it so subtly that we changed without expecting to. 

“I think some of that has to do with his absence today. For over forty years, he has taken what it means for us to be Centauri, and translated it through experience into this new world. It's not any man who can do something like that in an establishment such as this. With nearly fifty billion people watching, he decided not to appear on the day we celebrate his accomplishments, because elevating individual leaders is not what Emperor Cotto would have us do.”

The prime minister rose to military attention. “I will tell you why Emperor Cotto is not joining us this evening. It is not “personal reasons” as if he were too proud or too sick. I have on authority that he is spending this evening with a friend that he loves, celebrating his life in the way he'd deem us celebrate our own – with each other. So forget speeches. Forget change. Forget everything I've prepared and honor our emperor with good wine and good company. What say you?”

“Aye!” The crowd laughed and clinked glasses. Emperor Cotto stood, stunned. The prime minister let out a laugh and got back to his seat where a full beverage waited him. The emcee regained the stage to introduce their entertainment. Londo took the emperor's arm and led him out the back where the hall was transformed into a red-carpeted reception area. 

“Do you see, Vir? You're not useless.” Londo sipped on his glass. “On the contrary, it appears you made quite an impression.”

“Do you think he meant that?” Vir stammered. “Was that real? Like, was it really off the cuff?”

“You tell me, did it sound like your speech writers?”

“A bit I guess, although I hope they wouldn' t outright and call me a child.”

“How about the minister, himself?”

“He probably would.”

“I meant his speeches,” Londo scoffed. “Honestly, Vir, you overreact.”

“I'm an old man – a tired and cranky old man – not to mention a diplomat and the emperor of this multi-planet republic! If he thinks I'm unfit to lead, he should have said it instead of implying I'm an infant and conniving behind my back.”

“Sounds like someone needs a nap.” Londo took his shoulder. “You know what I heard? That you were an agent for change. There's nothing unfit about someone willing to think creatively. Even your absence made a statement. You got the room to cheer.”

“For my absence.”

“For your bravery!” 

“That's nonsense.”

“Listen – and off the record, I'll have you know this speech was one-hundred percent planned and I DID try to give it earlier...” Londo added his empty glass to the collection on a nearby standing table. “Vir Cotto, you are, perhaps, the finest Centauri I could have met or ever known. You carry no shred of selfish pride, and a torch for those who haven't earned it. You believed in me, when I lacked even the strength to believe in myself. When I did not even know who I was, you saw the best in me, and that faith is what kept that bit of me alive. I did not treat you fairly, I've admitted that before. I took advantage of that same quality I now praise. I didn't deserve you, and you knew it, and you stayed by me regardless. The truth is, I wanted more than anything to be the person you saw in me. You changed me, Vir. You saved me, more times than you could know, and for that I cannot thank you near close to enough, but I will try.” He gripped Vir's shoulders in both hands. “For me, for Centauri Prime, for the whole of the Republic, thank you. Thank you, again. And thank you, anyways.”

The space between the emperor's hearts clenched and knotted once again. It was not the same tightness as the sorrow he felt before, this was a new one – a warm one – and it nearly brought him to tears. “I was only doing my best.”

Londo cupped the emperor's cheeks between his hands. “You precious soul, you.”


	5. Dusk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end draws near.

“And it was outdoors, you know? In that amphitheater on Supanno 4. So we're all lined up out there when a snowstorm hits from nowhere in, like, three seconds flat.”

“No!”

“It dropped seventy degrees – even the champagne froze! Ends up the terraforming unit Davo was so proud of had a miscalculation when translating numeric value from the Minbari graded temperature system and cycled from spring morning to negative-five. Hesreel Davo was so mortified his face was literally steaming.”

“House Davo was always trying to get ahead,” Londo crossed to Vir's bar and poured glass from the waiting Brivari bottle. “They bought their way into the royal court, you know.”

“Oh I've heard the story, the Miros still won't let them live it down.”

“Some things never change.” Londo brought the bottle with him to the sitting area near the window. “So, go on. What did you do about a summer snow storm?” 

“What could we do? The weather already started. We got everyone inside and brewed tea.”

“On Davo's dime I hope?”

“Oh no, he was bankrupt. The royal house covered expenses and they paid us back with the planet. I use it as a summer home.”

“That's where your wife is?” 

“Jeserel, yes.” Emperor Cotto considered his own beverage and slouched against the arm of his chair. “It's probably odd that I miss her. We never spent a lot of time together, not since we were married. I enjoyed having her at court when she was a maiden. She was feisty and loved debate and I enjoyed our rapport, but the moment we were wed she packed her things and left. I often wondered, if I were younger, would she have stayed on Centauri Prime, or if it was me in general she's not all that fond of.”

“How old is she?”

“Thirty-five.”

“That is quite a gap.”

“I have children older than she is – perhaps that's another reason. Honestly, house Cotto is already secure, I never needed her for that part. All I really wanted was a companion.”

“Why haven't you asked her back?”

"I have.”

“And?”

“She already has attention and money, she has no interest in me.”

“What of your interest in her? That's something. You should tell her your feelings. Perhaps she will change her mind.”

“You were always the romantic, Londo, Is that what it's like beyond the Rim? You're an undead Casanova?” 

“Casanova – I read that one; “The History of My Life.” Very creative.” Londo laughed to himself. “No, no, women are a pain and wives even more so. I have one and that's enough.”

“I hardly believe that.”

“You haven't been with Adira.” He wheezed and airy sigh. “If I'd known in life what I know now, I would have married her in an instant – reputation be damned. Many things would have been different. I'd be without power, standing, or title, and of course we would not be meeting here, right now. You would have worked for someone else and I'd have died penniless on a remote planet where house Mollari scarcely acknowledged my name.”

“Would you have been happy?”

“In public, probably not. But in my heart, yes. Very much.”

“Where do you and Adira live, now?”

“There's a portal – a jump gate we use to travel to and from the edge of the Rim – surrounded by a city made of light. Adira and I have a mansion off the main plaza.”

“A mansion made of light?”

“Yes! It's all made of light. Even I am made of light. To a mortal eye it would be blinding, but to us it is home. Souls who took occupations in life can continue them after death, and the whole city is covered in artwork and textile and architecture from all over the universe. Ours is built in perfect Northern Centauri classical, planted with starlaces in every window. Adira designed it while she waited.” He sighed again. “Why would a beautiful young woman care about a disheveled old fool like me?”

“Because she loves you.” Vir sipped his drink with a smile. “Any kids?”

“Oh no, it doesn't quite work that way.”

“Light can't have kids?”

“I suppose we can, if we wanted. Children arrive every day, but many are given to new mothers on the living side of the universe. Being raised in paradise is one thing, but a life ended so young deserves a chance to be born.”

“Where do your other wives live? The ones from when you were alive?”

He scoffed. “Wherever they like. They aren't required at the gate, so they've ventured long and far. Timov had her own household before becoming empress, you know. Friends and family. She stays with them but I send her a post card now an then for no other reason than I know it annoys her – we died as we lived, as they say. The other three... well... their lives veered differently than mine, and they aren't nearly as fun.” 

“What about my wives? Have you seen them?”

“I confess, I have not. I spend a lot of time off-world.”

“Visiting losers like me.” Vir sipped again. “Do you think they'll come to meet me?”

“I don't see why not.”

“I hope they do.” He turned back to the window. “I hope a lot of people do.”

A blanket of diamonds stretched the heavens above the emperor's chambers. Vir searched the band for regions where his children lived, and the bright star in zenith that Jeserel orbited. The banquet was in full drunken swing somewhere deeper in the palace beyond the reach of his age-muffled ears, but he didn't miss it. Where he once wept in loneliness, he now sat laughing and drinking with one of his dearest friends in the world. 

Londo dripped the last of the Braviri into his cup and slouched until his head rested on the back of his chair. “Gorgeous evening.”

“Yeah,” Vir said. “It's perfect.”

They sat quietly amid night sounds and the ticking of the wall clock until it chimed the hour. Londo finished his glass and rose with a stretch. “My my, look at the time. Young emperors need to get to bed if they're going to rule a kingdom in the morning.”

"Morning?" Sweat broke at the back of Vir's neck. “But I thought that you– ”

“I know I said I'd stay until tomorrow, but a poor guest wears thin his welcome. You aren't as spry as you once were, keeping you up all night is unkind.”

“You're serious?” 

“Of course.”

“But Londo...” The chest knot – the kernel of worry that plagued him every hour of his ascension day – clenched until the emperor felt like gagging. “I thought that you came for me.”

“I did! An Ascension Gift. You prayed for one, did you not?”

“I... But...” A light went out somewhere inside him. The room started to constrict as his heart broke to blades that sliced the walls of his chest. “Londo... I have a confession.”

“Go on.”

“When I asked the Maker for a gift I – I didn't pray for you.” He paused, lips trembling in the dizzying swell of fear and sorrow dammed deep inside. “I was asking to die.” 

Londo bowed his head a drew a breath. “I know.”

“You do?”

“Yes.” Londo flipped his coattails as he knelt and a hand on the emperor's knee. “I was sent to you.”

“Sent?” Vir frowned. “You mean … I'm one of your missions?”

“Yes, you are.”

“You mean I'm your JOB?” Hot tears rimmed his eyes. “So you lied to me?”

“Only a bit.”

"H-how could you?" He smacked Londo's hand away. “How dare you!? All this buildup of the great beyond with mansions, and youth, and friends and family... only to snatch them all away from me. Do you think this is a game? Are you mocking me?”

“Of course not.”

“I thought I was going with you!” The anger dissolved into sobs and shuddering. "I was going to be happy."

He pressed his face into his hands, but Londo pulled them away and held them in his own. “Vir, life is brief, but it is precious, even in it's difficulty. Lorien told me you were in pain, and I came, because you still have a purpose.”

“What purpose? I'm old.”

“Time was never a constant.”

“I'm powerless.”

“You are emperor of the Centauri Republic.”

"A valueless title.”

“Not yet.” Londo insisted. “I understand it seems hard when so many friends and confidants have gone ahead of you, but you still carry the future of the Centauri race on your shoulders. It is your job to do what's best for your people. The end of this office has weighed heavily on you, I can see it in your face. You are unsettled, but not defeated.”

“You can't tell me how I feel.” Vir seethed between sniffs. “You only care about the republic.”

“I care about both.” Londo leaned in. “Vir, you've lived a long and amazing life. Your reign has turned so many things around, there is no one stopping your momentum but yourself. How can I help you see it? I can't stand to see you hopeless."

The emperor turned away, red faced and fighting to maintain outrage when all he wanted to do was cry. 

Londo squeezed his hands. "Don't give up, Vir. Please don't. I have so much faith in you.” 

"Faith?" Vir's voice faltered. He turned and saw tears in Londo's pale blue eyes.

"I tried my best to teach you, feeble as that might have been. I don't even know if it helped. You've always been the better of us, and you've done more than I could have dreamed possible. Seeing this place, hearing all you've accomplished, it's staggering and overwhelming." Londo collected himself. “I am so. Very. Proud of you.”

The last of Vir's anger fled and he bent forward, diminished and thready like a worn flag. "I'm sorry." Tears dripped onto their clasped hands. “I tried not to disappoint you. I never belonged to anyone before you, Londo. You were the closest thing to a father I had.”

Londo pulled his hands back. Vir strengthened his grip, but the old man's aching knuckles couldn't keep a firm hold and they slipped through. "Oh, Vir...."

The emperor flinched, ashamed of his foolishness and afraid to look up.

Londo drew a shaky breath. He rose to his knees and wrapped his arms around the emperor's neck.

Vir buried his face in the warm velvet. “I've missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” Londo rocked them, cheeks close, and kissed him on the temple. “You're precious to me, you know that.”

“I know it now.”

“That's better.” He lowered to his ankles, shaking his head. “You know for eighty-five, you're as good and clever as the day we parted. It's your nature and don't discredit it. Great Maker, I didn't give it to you."

Vir wiped his face with his hand. "So what does the universe want me to do? Save the world again?" 

"It wants you to follow star burning inside you," Londo said. "All's in place already; your people trust your judgment, and your senate wants your power. Decide which you fear most and side with them. Surround yourself with friends – trust me, it is never too late to make them - and be your own compass. Do all this and there is nothing you can't manage. I believe it.”

“And what happens if I fail?”

“Do you think the line of emperors should continue?”

“I do.” Vir's voice strengthened. “We're not our allies - the emperor is more than an office to the Centauri people. The job can change if it has to, but so much of this republic still looks backward. The emperors are a symbol... we are an executive who's responsibility to the people is greater than to ourselves. After all, the Alliance has their president, why can't we have with our tradition as well? ”

Londo smiled. “Indeed.”

“It'll be a hard fight.”

“Perhaps.” 

“I'm afraid of what could happen.”

“And that's all right, too. Today you have strength to pull the arrow... and so your aim will do the rest.” Londo stood and took his arm. “Come now. It's late. Let's get you to bed.”

Londo helped him remove his wig and change clothes. It was odd, but also humbling. To have someone the emperor once thought a giant lower himself with such respect was the highest possible honor. They were the same, now, both master and servant in their own turn, and it didn't matter which was which. Vir wanted to say so many things, but it wasn't until he was tucked into bed that he found words. 

“Londo?”

“Yes, Vir?”

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” He wore a small, sad smile. “I'm sorry you didn't get the gift you wanted.”

“The one I got was better.” Vir wrung the blankets in his hands. “When you leave?”

“Sunup.”

“Can't you stay longer? I mean... I have a lot of work ahead of me. I could use your help.”

“That's not why I came.”

“But you said before some people stay." Emotion rattled like a caged bird against his ribs. "That some souls get attached...”

“You don't want that.”

“I do, though.”

“The Vir I know would not.” Londo pulled a chair beside the bed and sat. “You don't want me to forfeit my eternity. I have home and family waiting for me beyond the Rim, and other good to do in this universe when I get back.”

“Will I ever see you again?”

“Of course you will. I can't tell you how long it will be, but the Rim calls to all of us, eventually. I'll be waiting to greet you both then and forever after.”

“Why can't that be now?” 

“Because for now the promise is enough.” He patted Vir's arm through the covers. “Hold it close and it'll stay with you tomorrow when I'm gone and today feels like a dream.”

“But I don't want it to be a dream!” Vir grabbed his hand. “Please Londo, just a day? An hour would be enough – just be here when I wake up.”

“I can't.”

“Please,” the emperor plead. “I'll do whatever you say. I'll be strong and proud for years without you, but I can't be lonely, again. I can't take it. I need to know you were real. Your visit has meant so much.”

“And I'm touched, believe me. I wish I could...” He covered Vir's hand in his own. “I'll stay right here, even as you sleep. You'll have my every moment.”

“And then you'll leave, and it'll be like you were never here at all.”

Londo's lips tightened to a line across his face. He loosed his hand and rose, wiping a tear on his sleeve before removing his coat and draping it across the seat of the chair. “Scoot aside.”

Vir gave him room to settle atop the covers with his back against the headboard. His arm draped across the wealth of pillows to rest against the emperor's shoulder. Vir rolled closer and pressed an ear to Londo's chest. 

It was warm, and solid, and smelled of expensive wine. Two hearts beat in tandem beneath his silk waistcoat, keeping time with the even pull of air into lungs. Londo tensed at the sudden closeness, but quickly surrendered and tightened his arm around the old man's back. “There now, Vir, it's all right.”

“I really am a child.”

“We all are."

"I just needed a moment."

"I understand.”

Vir could feel himself drifting but fought to stay conscious. If he slept it meant a return to everyday life; hours alone in crowds, approving legislation that didn't matter, being honored not befriended, feeling obsolete. As long as he was awake it was his ascension day... if only strength of will could delay the inevitable. 

“Will you come back and see me? It doesn't have to be in person or anything, it can be the same as my coronation when you don't tell anyone.”

“I can't - ”

“Just say 'yes', okay?” He tucked his face between the silk and his own arm. “I don't really care about the truth, only that it could be possible... when everything feels empty... and no one else is here.” 

Londo sank into the stack of pillows until his head rested against the emperor's nightcap. "Hold tight, Vir. I'm with you. You're not alone.”

Vir closed his eyes and he melted in the blanket of another soul. In that moment, he was not the elderly emperor, he was a boy in his father's household, safe and protected. The knot of worry between Vir's hearts loosed and untangled, leaving him calm and almost weightless against his living pillow. Londo's breaths slowed and deepened. Vir tried to memorize the sound that rolled through his head like waves in the ocean – inhale, exhale – until the peace of darkness beckoned and he drifted out to sea.

…

…....

….

….....

….

“Mollari?”

A harsh whisper – someone familiar but Vir couldn't place them. It echoed, fuzzy, through a dream.

“Mollari, wake up.”

“Ach.” The ocean shifted. “What? What are you doing here?”

“Lorien sent me. We have another assignment.”

“I was promised a full day.”

“And I was sent to fetch you.”

“I can find my way back.”

“I know.” A pause. The voice grew softer. “I needed to be sure you intended to come.”

Anther pause. The ocean sighed. “You know better than that.”

Surf settled like static over the voices. Vir registered movement, but sleep kept him under water. Londo's chest rose and fell in a shallower rhythm. 

“So, this is Emperor Cotto...” the second voice neared. “If there were such thing as an elderly infant, one is drooling on your chest.”

“He's a treasure. I hate to leave him.”

“You'll see him soon enough.”

“But not too soon. Imagine - a Centauri emperor to die of old age! And that I have lived to see it!”

“Technically, you didn't.”

He exhaled with a hiss. “Shut up.”

The clock chimed. The second voice rose away. “All right, Londo, it's dawn.”

"I know..." The man beneath him shifted, pulling the warmth away like a tide. He fought to wake, but couldn't rally. His body slipped into the sheets, and the arm supporting his head eased it onto a pillow. 

“There you go, Vir. Sleep well.” The weight of a second cover drew over his shoulder. The dream pulled him back under. “Happy ascension day.”

“Adorable. Can we go, now?”

“Hold on, I wanted to show you something.”

“It will have to wait.”

“Fine, fine.”

A cold ocean breeze brushed Vir's cheek. The sand sifted loudly beneath the returning waves, and all was quiet. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Emperor Cotto woke to knocking. He untwisted from the jumble of pillows and blankets to find Roddi standing at his chamber door.

“Your grace? Were you asleep?”

“Ugh, yes.” The emperor squinted into glaring sunlight. “What time is it?”

“Midmorning. You slept in.”

“Maker...” Vir's spine cracked as he sat forward, rubbing his eyes. “What have I missed?”

“A brunch for out-of-town guests. I brought you a tray.”

“Guests?" A streak of panic slashed through him. It was a morning. He'd slept. How much had been a dream? “What's today?”

Roddi frowned. “Are you feeling all right, Sir?”

“Yes, of course, I'm fine.” His heart was pounding. “Is today Ascension Day?”

“No, sir, that was yesterday.”

“Yesterday...” Vir drew a lungful of cold air and bowed his head with a sigh. “And did someone visit me? A friend – ”

He stopped. Draped across his lap was a wine colored coat he'd seen once before; trimmed in gold braid and lined with velvet. The emperor snatched it from the covers and pressed it to his cheek. It felt the same, it smelled the same, it was even warm. He buried his face in it. 

Roddi cleared his throat. “Sir?”

“Yes.” The emperor looked up, alert and feeling more himself. “Sorry. I drank a lot last night.”

“Understandable. Shall I set breakfast?”

“Actually I'd like to take it with the dignitaries. Are they still gathered?”

“Yes, for another hour at least.”

“Good.” He maneuvered his stiff legs from the covers. Roddi set the tray on a table and offered an arm. Vir's hip ached, but he relished it the pain – a testament to the walking he did the day before. “And send a note to Virrin. I want to speak with him before he goes.”

“As you wish, sir. Shall I send for your company - Mr. Linconny?” 

"I'm afraid he took off early. He had a long trip home. It's all right, though, we had a good time." 

"I'm glad to hear it." Roddi released his arm and opened the cabinet of white suits and sashes. Vir waved for him to stop.

"I'm tired of that old stuff. Today I'm wearing this.” He took the coat from the and handed it to his attendant. 

Roddi rubbed a thumb across the velvet. "What is it?"

"My ascension gift."

"It's not traditional attire."

"Yes, well..." The emperor folded his hands behind his crooked back, wrinkles drawn wide in a sober and knowing smile. "It seems I'm due for a little change."


	6. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One Year Later

Emperor Cotto waited near the fountain in the public garden, grateful for a moment's peace at the end of another exhausting ascension day. Dinner was over, and satisfied guests spread throughout the palace. Sunset cast colors over the walls and hedgerows as a beautiful Centauri woman descended the stairs. The emperor smiled and nodded a bow. “Jeserel.”

“Your grace.” She swept a curtsy and tugged a silk shawl over about her neck. “It's a bit colder here than on Supanno 4.”

“I'm afraid that can't be helped. Would you like to go back inside?”

“You said you had a surprise for me.”

“And I do.” He offered her his arm. “Shall we?”

Drunk and gleeful guests milled bout the plots and hedgerows, laughing amid music muffled by greenery. Jeserel's gold diadem sparkled in the lamplight. “It was a lovely party, not at all like what I remembered.”

“A lot has changed in the last year.”

“I should say. When last I saw you, you could barely walk. Now here you are, taking jaunts like a young man.”

“I've put some work into myself.”

“And just what are you wearing, your grace?”

He smirked. “The coat's become something of a staple.”

She tilted her head with an approving nod. “I see you kept that gaudy sash, though.”

'What can I say? It matched the vests.”

The two walked south toward the ceremonial garden where visitors of various races milled about the line of dead emperors. Those who noticed the royal couple bowed with flourish. Jeserel stiffened beneath the eyes of the scupltures. “The surprise you have for me is in a graveyard?”

“That's hardly a respectful name for it.”

“That's what this is – monuments to the dead. I hope you're not proving your own godhood, you know how I feel about elevating the mortal like that.”

“We discussed it, yes. You may have thrown something.”

“I think it was a wine glass.”

“That's right. Good times.”

Jeserel sighed heavily and drew the pair to a stop. “Alright, out with it, Vir. You want something from me, I can hear it.”

“You want to spoil your surprise?”

“I don't like to pretend.” She pouted. “You practically begged me to attend this celebration even when I said no, you've dragged me to the most solemn and uninspiring place in the palace, and I want to know why.”

“All right.” The emperor dropped her hand. “I would like you to consider moving back.”

“Move?”

“Yes. Centauri Prime needs her empress.”

“As does her husband, I gather?” She folded her arms. “Were you craving another heir, Emperor Cotto?”

“You're making a lot of assumptions.” 

“I know what the court expects.”

“The court has something to do with it. The centaurum's steered a new direction the last couple years. They want control of the emperorship and I aim to set them straight."

"You sound almost conspiratorial."

"There's nothing 'almost' about it.” He straightened. “I don't ask because I need another heir, my dear. The ones I have cause trouble enough. What I need is the young woman I knew before our marriage - full of fire and good ideas. I could use a few of those, and a solid head to bounce them off of.”

“You're asking for me to be an adviser?” 

"If that's the title you like." He shifted weight onto his stronger leg. “I'm prepared to bribe you back with an entire wing of the palace. You can design and decorate it as you like, invite whoever you want to stay, even return to Supanno 4 as long as your permanent residence is here. I ask for your company as friends if nothing else.”

Her brow knit. “Are you trying to trick me, sir?”

“Would I trick?”

“No, I suppose you are the only one who wouldn't. I thought I understood you, sir, but today I hardly recognize my own husband. They warned me you had changed.” Jeserel sighed and dropped her hands. “Alright, Vir. I'm willing to try this new arrangement on one condition. If what you've promised me today proves false, things return to the way they were.”

He took her arm again. “I can live with that.”

They reached the back of the garden where the younger emperors stood. Emperor Cotto visited it often to pay respects to the parted and give his waiting pedestal a six-fingered salute. Today it held a vase containing of hundreds of sparkling tropical flowers.

Jeserel stopped, eyes wide. "Oh Vir!"

"This was your surprise."

"Where did they all come from?"

"I had them planted. There's a whole garden with your name on it."

"They're beautiful." She released him to touch the lighted petals. "Just like home."

"I hoped you'd feel that way," he grinned. "Would you to see the rest?”

“Give me a minute here, if that's all right.”

Vir nodded and breathed the musk of lamp oil and perfume. A party of drunken senators leaned on Turhan's pedestal, while a gray-crested dignitary bent close to read the graffiti on Cartagia's thigh. A Centauri and a Narn stood in front of Mollari II. They were casual together – more so than most natives were with alien locals. The Centauri gestured to the statue and clapped his companion hard on the back. The Narn reached up to touch the statue's clasped hands before extending the same hand to his friend, who turned and shook gladly. 

The two recreated the statue in perfect likeness.

Vir gasped.

The Centauri glanced sidelong with a hint of a smile and gripped the Narn's arm as the two vanished into crowd. 

“Vir?” Jeserel touched him lightly on the shoulder. The emperor jumped and turned to find her hair festooned with glowing blossoms like stars. “Are you all right? You look as if you've seen a ghost.”

“I have.” He cracked a smile and took her hand. “But it was a nice ghost.”

She tucked one of the blooms into his vest pocket. "Can I see the rest of my garden?"

"Of course." They threaded arms. "We'll see it together."


End file.
